Ling Ling’s eyes widened as she was unable to believe what she had heard. Even though he had clearly recognized her and still remembered his promise from back then, she just hadn’t expected him to ask her this question outright. Now, everything was much too sudden. She wanted to say that she hadn’t thought of anything else but becoming his wife for the past ten years, that she couldn’t await honoring the promise they had given each other and finally assuming that role he had promised her but she couldn’t get a single word out. Her heart was beating too violently and she feared that if she spoke up, she might only be able to squeak. Thus, she just nodded as her answer.
An Hei’s smile brightened in return. Even if she didn’t talk, the gaze in her eyes told him everything he needed to know. Clearly, she was thrilled to see him again. He didn’t wait and just turned towards the matchmaker, that smile still hanging on his lips. "Matchmaker Lin, I am afraid this young woman’s portrait was not among the ones you’ve shown me but I would like to marry her. I hope you will be able to assist me in this matter."
Right now, Xu Fu had not returned yet so he wasn’t sure how a human wedding was supposed to be celebrated. He still needed to wait for her report. Unfortunately, his fiancee and her family were right in front of him and the matchmaker was also present so there really was no way he could just leave. He had to make use of the opportunity to at least get Madam Yang’s promise to marry her daughter to him and prepare for the next step.
The matchmaker nodded immediately, even seeming a little hasty in her movement. She didn’t dare to think about dissuading him from this marriage and marrying Yang Ling Ling off to the second son of the Wu family. Originally, she had thought that she didn’t want to offend the Wus but back then, she hadn’t known who this man was. Now that she had a good guess regarding his identity, she naturally wouldn’t dare to slight him.
Furthermore … Madam Lin glanced at Yang Ling Ling and the golden hairpin with the red stones that An Hei had inserted into her hair. From the interaction between the two of them, they had already met before. He had probably come here not to find a wife but to finalize his plans to marry this girl. It was her luck that he was still willing to go through with this at her place and would not go to one of the other matchmakers! If he had been offended because of her behavior before, she might not have been able to take his wrath. Of course, she wouldn’t make such a mistake twice. It was still better to explain to the Wus than to have to explain to the imperial family.
Seeing the matchmaker agree, An Hei nodded, pleased with how things were going. Then, he turned to glance at Madam Yang. He really wasn’t sure how to continue though so he turned back to Ling Ling, hoping that maybe she could say a few words to her mother in explanation.
Ling Ling’s mother observed the happy couple in front of her, feeling puzzled. When did my daughter manage to win over a man of the imperial family? She still couldn’t believe it and had to ask herself if she might not just be dreaming. It did not seem impossible. In any case, it had been astounding enough that she would be called back to the matchmaker right the next day and hear that there were two suitors for her daughters. Now, even a member of the imperial family turned up and asked her youngest to marry him. If this was not a dream, what could it be?
For a moment, Madam Yang really didn’t know what to do. She was afraid to wake up any moment now and realize that this really wasn’t real. But in case it was … She shook herself. Even if this is a dream, such a chance has to be seized!, she called herself to order and turned to Madam Lin. "Seeing as my daughter also seems to like this young man and we were looking for a husband for her anyway, I would also be happy if we could leave this matter in your capable hands, Madam Lin."
In any case, there were still some customs that needed to be observed and there was a lot to discuss. Who knew if he would still be willing if he heard about the dowry? Even though he looked as if he wasn’t lacking for money, the members of the imperial or the royal families would usually also marry for wealth or power. The Yang family had neither of that. Even the previous relationships with the military were mostly useless now after so many years had passed since General Yang’s death. Maybe they could still ask for a favor or two but that wasn’t the kind of assistance these families needed. Thus, Madam Yang couldn’t help but worry if this man might not retract his generous offer after he became aware of this. Still, she wanted to give it a try. Her daughter looked like she liked him and if he was really willing to marry her, Ling Ling would have a carefree life from now on.
The matchmaker didn’t hesitate to accept both side’s wishes. "Of course, of course." She turned to An Hei, a satisfied smile on her lips. "Then, may I inquire if your elders would be able to come for a discussion?" She really wasn’t sure if this would be possible. If she was right in that he was of the imperial family, then she couldn’t very well expect his parents to step foot into her humble house, could she? No, this kind of family would usually deal differently with things.
An Hei was at a loss. His parents were already dead so he couldn’t ask them over. Was that a prerequisite though? He really wished that he had sent Xu Fu to inquire about human wedding customs beforehand. Now, he was completely unprepared.
He pondered if there was some other kind of solution. Certainly, he could have somebody pretend to be his elders but he felt that this would be wrong. A wedding should not be decided on without honesty. Not telling her that he wasn’t human was already bad enough. To also have somebody impersonate his family … An Hei couldn’t bring himself to do so.
In the end, An Hei shook his head. "I am afraid that will not be possible." He looked at the matchmaker with a grave expression, hoping that this wouldn’t mean his wedding plans would fall through.
Madam Lin had expected as much though and wasn’t flustered. "Well, I am sure Mister An will be able to discuss these matters himself then." She turned to Madam Yang and was a bit at a loss. There was also only her left on that side … Well, in any case, this was better than nothing. "Then, since both sides have already agreed, I don’t think there is a need to still negotiate the wedding?" She looked from one person to the other and finally turned to An Hei when Madam Yang also looked at him. Clearly, both women wanted to defer to him in regard to everything regarding this wedding.
An Hei was thankful for this being a rather straightforward question and shook his head. "No, there is no need to. It is just …" He showed a slightly uncomfortable expression before he turned to Madam Yang. "Madam Yang doesn’t know but we arrived only today. I was afraid to miss the right timing so I came here immediately. Unfortunately, that also means that I was unable to prepare anything else yet." Since he didn’t know what needed to be prepared, An Hei kept things vague. "Thus, if Madam Yang does not mind, please give me a few days to organize things on my side. I can swear on my life that I will see this wedding through. You do not need to worry."
Madam Yang was surprised and quite shocked at his words. "Ah, Mister An, please don’t say such things." Having an imperial family member swear on their name, she really didn’t dare to! "Since you already agreed, then I am not worried. A gentleman wouldn’t break his word easily. So, please take as much time as you need." She glanced at Madam Lin, hoping that the matchmaker could help her out here.
The woman pondered for a moment but also didn’t want to rush An Hei. Making him happy was more important than making Madam Yang happy, after all. Still, he also seemed quite intent on holding this wedding. "Hm, then how about this? Mister An can just prepare everything he needs. After you finish, just sent one of your servants over with a message so we can decide on a date to discuss matters."
An Hei pondered. Discussing matters was really too vague for him to understand but it didn’t sound like much preparation would be necessary. "Well, I also wouldn’t want the Yang family to have to wait too long. There isn’t much I need to prepare in person. Most can be handed over to my servants. So how about we meet again tomorrow for the discussion? This kind of matter should be handled as soon as possible."
The matchmaker inclined her head, thankful that she hadn’t tried to push things off. It seemed this man was intent on marrying Yang Ling Ling as soon as possible indeed. "That sounds like a lovely idea. Would you be alright with that, Madam Yang?"
Yang Ling Ling’s mother naturally nodded. "But of course. Please don’t burden yourself too much though, Mister An. If you need more time, then we also don’t mind waiting longer."
An Hei smiled and glanced back at his fiancee. "I think Ling Ling has waited long enough already. How could I let her go on waiting for even longer? I will just take care of the most urgent matters and then focus on the wedding."
With this, the three parties agreed. After bidding farewell to Ling Ling and her family, An Hei left the matchmaker’s house together with Yuan Hao and Nong Bai. As soon as they stepped outside, they found Hu Chen standing on the other side who had clearly followed the mother with her two daughters over.
An Hei waved at him to stay behind to make sure that there was somebody close by to make sure the girls would be alright. Meanwhile, he took the other two to a nearby restaurant, letting Nong Bai organize a room for them where they could sit down.
As soon as the food was served, An Hei turned to his two subjects. "Things are urgent now. We don’t know what exactly will be needed for the wedding so we have to be fast. Nothing can be left to chance. I don’t want Ling Ling to be slighted."
"Don’t worry, Your Majesty! As soon as Xu Fu returns, we will know what to do. Until tomorrow at this time, we should definitely be able to handle everything."
An Hei nodded but there was still a trace of worry showing between his brows. Previously, he hadn’t paid enough attention, causing Ling Ling’s family to become destitute. Now, he wanted to make up for it a bit at least. "Yuan Hao, you go and inquire about Ling Ling’s sister as well. They should be about the same age, both ready to get married. Since she will be my sister-in-law soon, we should make sure that she isn’t slighted. Make sure that the matchmaker knows to find her a good husband."
Yuan Hao nodded. "I will inquire about the men of marriageable age in this city and the vicinity and see who might be a good fit. With Your Majesty’s backing, it shouldn’t be difficult to find a good fit for her."
An Hei nodded and then pondered, finally fixing his gaze on Nong Bai. "As for you … find some people to work on the Yang estate. It’s in a bad condition right now. Even if Ling Ling is unlikely to return there after our wedding, that is still her maiden home. I owe it to her to restore it to how it was before."
Nong Bai acknowledged his command as well and the two of them left. An Hei remained in the restaurant, slowly sipping his tea while he pondered. He wanted to do things perfectly for Ling Ling, so he couldn’t miss even the smallest matter but it was difficult to do so since he wasn’t human and didn’t quite know the local customs. It seemed that he would have a lot to catch up on in the next few days. Right now, he regretted not having spent the ten days at the demon king’s palace reading up on these things.
